Council overrides McMasters veto

HUBER HEIGHTS — Huber Heights City Council Monday night voted to override Mayor Thomas McMasters’ veto of a resolution that called for the city manager to prepare for legislation for a tax increment financing (TIF) district in the Lexington Place and Quail Ridge area.

Council had passed the resolution at its last meeting, but McMasters vetoed it, saying new development in the area did not require any infrastructure improvements to be made by the city that would benefit the schools. McMasters is an advocate of a “non-school” TIF, which would not reduce the amount of property tax received by the schools from property owners in the area. Other TIF options would give the city a bigger piece of the money for a set period of time, reducing the amount the schools would receive.

He said that in this specific case any TIF that is not of the “non-school” variety would be “contrary to the best interest of the school system.”

Council Member Tyler Starline didn’t see it that way. He said McMasters’ comments were an “insult to the school board” and finished by saying to McMasters, “You sir, are illogical.”

City Manager Rob Schommer said that the type of TIF had not been decided upon, that the resolution merely gets the process started. Council members agreed with him, voting 7-1, with Janell Smith voting no, to go ahead with the process.

The next step will be for the city staff to prepare the legislation that would create the specifics of the tax district.